Sneaky Social Experiment Exposes Sweden's Hidden Class Discrimination

It turns out if you're in tuxedo, the chances of you catching a free bus ride are exponentially greater.

A new social experiment out of Sweden highlights the massive role attire plays in how people are socially perceived.

Made by YouTube channel STHLM Pandathen, the video shows undercover actor Olle Öberg dressed sharply in a tuxedo and trying to board a bus without a ticket. Almost every bus driver believes his excuse that he has forgotten his wallet and allows him to ride the bus for free.

Sweden is regarded as one of the most tolerant and coolest nations on earth, and the first part of the experiment pretty much affirms that notion. However, that belief goes out the window when Olle changes into ragged, worn out clothing and tries to ride the bus for free again.

Instead of bus drivers being as understanding as they were before, they not only refused Olle a free ride but some even appeared to insult him.

“We suspected that the way I was treated would vary, but not by this much,” Olle told The Local. “The worst part was how I was treated when I asked to go on the bus wearing worn clothes and bags. Several of the drivers saw an opportunity to in a rather unpleasant way tell me that I couldn't travel. My sense of dignity gradually fell as I kept being refused to travel and wasn't respected."

It goes to show how materialistic our societies have become that they judge a person by the way he looks instead of the genuineness of his situation. Even in a country that prides itself on freedom, like Sweden.